Albest iiickmann



(No Model.)

AVHIGKM'ANNf PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR QRGANS.

PatentedDem-Q, 1890.

nus 00-,PNOTO-LITHO.,WASHXNGYON o c UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ALBIN HIOKMANN, OF DACIllVIG, PRUSSIA, GERMANY.

PNEUMATIC ACTION FOR ORGANS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,253, dated December 9, 1890.

7 Application filed October 12, 1889- S erial No. 326,869. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBIN HICKMANN, a subject of the Emperor of Germany, and a resident of Dachwig, near Erfurt, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in and relating to Organs and other Wind-Instruments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to wind-chests of organs and other musical instruments played through the agency of compressed air, andit comprises improved means for actuating the valves or other closing or controlling devices of the said wind-chests.

The improved wind-chest constructed according to the said invention as compared with the arrangements which have heretofore been employed presents the following features-that is to say:

For operating the several pipes or groups of pipes as well as the registers, only air of the same pressure as the air for sounding the pipes is used. The effective work always takes place in the atmospheric air, and cells are provided for the registers as well as for the key, the said cells crossing each other at any desired angle and being separated at their crossing-points by diaphragms, bellows, or the like.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the improved windchest; Fig. 2, a cross-section of the same on the line a [1, and Fig. 3 a plan on the line 7' 8. Figs. 4 and 5 are modifications.

A is the inner chamber of the chest, into which the air passes from the bellows. The air is admitted through passages a a a, to valves 00 17 of suitable construction, and enters the chambers B B 13 which are covered by the boards 0 O O for the pipes. The bottom of the wind-chest consists of crossbars f, which have between them spaces y, covered by plates 9 g g Below the crossbarf and crossing them are arranged the bars 6, so as to form channels a 00 x, 03. which extend across 3 g 1J These channels so are closed below by a bottom of wood, paper, or the like. 0f the crossed channels so and y provided in this manner, the former, according to the drawings, constitute the soundingcells and the latter the register-cells, and they are separated from each other at the crossingpoints by diaphragms p 19, upon which bear small buffers or pistons b b b provided with rods s s 3,, which act upon the valves o e 1),.

In most cases the aforesaid cells 00 and y cross each other at a right angle, but they may be arranged radially or at any suitable angle. Moreover, in some cases parts of the same cell may eXtendin different directions. If now the register-cell y is put in communication with the atmospheric air and the sounding-cell 0c is filled with air from the interior of the Wind-chest, the above-mentioned diaphragm will be forced into the cell y, thereby raising the buffer 1), the rod 5, and, by-means of the latter, the valve 1), so that the corresponding pipe will be sounded. If, however, air is allowed-to pass from the windchest to the cell y, the air of the same pressure in the cell w cannot raise the diaphragm and the said valve. In this case the pipe does not sound if the key is pressed down. Accordingly all the registers whose cells are in communication with the atmospheric air will sound, while all those whose cells are filled with air from the wind-chest will not sound even if the air is admitted to the cell 0:. The alternate communication of the cells as and y with the atmospheric air and with the interior of the chest can be effected in various manners.

In the arrangement illustrated in Fig. 1 two valves V and V are provided for the sounding-cells, which are rendered dependent on one another through the medium of rods (Z, the valve V closing the cell against the windchest and V closing the same against the atmospheric air. V is raised by the diaphragm P of a pneumatic tube or device T, but in lieu thereof can be set in motion by mechanical or electrical means.

In Fig. 2 use is made, for the register-cell, of a controlling device comprising a valve which is actuated by the buffer 1) and the diaphragm P, and is adapted to play between the bottom plate 0 and the plate g, so that, according as it bears against 0 or c, it will put the cell y in communication with the wind chest or with the atmospheric air.

It is evident that use may be made, instead of the above-described two devices, of any other controlling device which is known in ICO organ-building and by which the same object can be attained.

in lieu of the simple diaphragmp, any other suitable device can be employed without de- 5 parting from the nature of the invention, as

long as the arrangement of the crossed cells ,1: and 11 is retained. In Fig. 4, for example, the cell 1 is shown enlarged, so that small bellows are acting in the same manner as the IO simple diaphragms.

Fig. 5 represents the arrangement of a piston which maybe employed in lieu of the aforesaid bellows.

Vithout making any change in the arrange- I 5 mentof the cells, the action of the latter can 20 the air from the cell 11 so that the butter or piston b rises and opens the correspondim valve r, if the corrcspon ding register has been drawu-that is to say, if the cell a; has been put in communication with the interior of the wind-chest.

\Yhat I claim is- The combination of lower chamber A with upper chamber B, passages a CL and valves 12 u between said chambers, and with crossing cells 1: 7 diaphragms 1) between said cells, pistons Z) Z), bearing thereon and having rods 5 s, that operate valves r r, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

AL )IN IIIGKMANN.

Witnesses:

M. THIER, FRANZ WEBER.

LII 

